FORT RILEY, Kan. -- The 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley hosted its final Big Red One Year of Honor commemoration ceremony for 1ID Medal of Honor recipients on December 10, 2021.
The ceremony honored 1ID MoH recipients for their actions during battle and their courage in the face of imminent danger. The recipients this month were Sgt. Candelario Garcia, Pvt. Robert T. Henry, Spc. Ross A. McGinnis, and Cpl. Henry F. Warner.
“Today we recognize the final four of our 37, [Medal of Honor recipients] and we add their names to the others, whose blue signs adorn the streets of Fort Riley,” said Maj. Gen. D.A. Sims, commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley. “Using their examples of the past, the names of Henry, Warner, Garcia, and McGinnis will be used in the present to increase our connections to this incredible Division.”
McGinnis’s street renaming was a significant event in the final ceremony. Command Sgt. Maj. Todd Sims, the command sergeant major of U.S. Army Forces Command, was serving as the first sergeant of the Headquarters and Headquarters Company in the same battalion as McGinnis. Both Maj. Gen. Sims, and Command Sgt. Maj. Sims attended the street renaming dedication.
“The things that have happened in the past are what makes us such a great country and a great Army,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Sims. “What it does is it develops that warrior spirit for the warriors of the 1st Infantry Division. It serves as a reminder of the greatness that we have to live up to every day.”
With the MoH recipients from the past being honored in the present, the attention of the event turned to the efforts of the individual Soldiers that made the Big Red One Year of Honor possible this year. Instead of a usual Leader Professional Development discussion, the evening looked back at the preceding events from the months before during a banquet held at the Fort Riley Conference Center. Prior panelists and Distinguished Troopers were invited back to Fort Riley to attend the night’s banquet.
“It’s an enormous privilege to be with you here tonight and I am supremely grateful for your attendance, not just this evening, but in every event, from our Distinguished Troopers to those special guests who make each of our gatherings simply amazing,” said Maj. Gen. Sims. “We are so fortunate to have those panelists back with us and I am hoping they will stand and allow us one more chance to cheer their efforts and let us offer our sincere appreciation for all they’ve done for our division and for our people.”
As the attendees of the banquet close out another year, they understand the Big Red One anticipates new challenges and issues. They are reminded that no mission is too difficult, no sacrifice is too great, while moving with a mindset of duty first and people always.
“I am grateful for the 1st Infantry Division’s legacy of service, and I appreciate all of your hard work to reinforce the values to tell our story and honor the sacrifices of the heroes and the Families,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Sims. “But I am even more excited for the stories that have yet to be written, because for the next 104 years and beyond, America will continue to be in the hands of 1st Infantry Division Soldiers who build an even stronger legacy of service off of the lessons from our past. This division, our Soldiers, and the generation of Soldiers and Americans who will follow, will always be the toast of the Army.”
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